PETERSBURG, VA – The Fayetteville State softball team moves on to the second day of the 2013 CIAA Softball Championship after splitting two games on Thursday afternoon against the Virginia State Lady Trojans and Lincoln (PA) Lady Lions. The Lady Broncos fell in game one to Virginia State 6-1 but rebounded for a 9-3 win in game two against Lincoln (PA). Maya Washington (Jr., Red Springs, NC) paced the FSU offense on day one with four hits.

In game one, Virginia State scored four runs in the bottom of the first and added two more in the fourth en route to the 6-1 victory. Marley Stubblefield (Fr., Huntland, TN) got FSU on the scoreboard with her RBI single in the top of the seventh.

Stubblefield joined Washington and Sierra Henderson-Holmes (So., Olivia, NC) with one hit each in game one. Spencer Embler (Jr., Thomasville, NC) gave up one earned run and no walks in six innings of work to take the loss.

Cameryn Smith, Endya Bailey and Mikia Noble had two hits apiece for the Lady Trojans. Smith, Bailey and Caitlin Underhill all had one RBI. Jessica Mattia earned the win pitching 6.2 innings.

The Fayetteville State offense broke out for 14 hits in the 9-3 game two victory as it scored nine runs in the final two innings. The Lady Broncos trailed 3-0 as Lincoln (PA) scored three times in the top of the third against starter Kristen Bell (Fr., Hubert, NC). Bell then settled in to hold the Lady Lions scoreless over the next four innings as FSU scored four runs in the fifth and five in the sixth. Kelsey Urquhart (Fr., Sneads Ferry, NC), Brittany Freeman (Fr., Fayetteville, NC) and Embler each had one RBI in the fifth. Embler’s second home run of the season, a two-run shot, sparked the five-run sixth inning. Jessica Randolph (Jr., Pinetops, NC) also provided a two RBI double in the inning.

Washington, Embler and Urquhart combined for nine of the team’s 14 hits in game two; each had three hits in the contest. Embler drove in a team-high three RBI while Randolph added two runs driven in. Bell, who was named the CIAA Rookie of the Year on Wednesday night, picked up her team-leading seventh victory of the season. The right-hander walked just one batter while striking out ten in the process.

Six different Lady Lions posted one hit apiece in the contest as Avree Morton recorded two RBI. Erin Rucker suffered the loss allowing nine runs on 14 hits and no strikeouts in six innings pitched.

The Lady Broncos will play the loser of the Virginia State/Winston-Salem State contest on Friday, Apr. 19 at 10 a.m.